Séamas O’Reilly: I tell my son the truth about football
I was a wiry, bookish nerd who grew up in open countryside with little else to do than play football
Lionel Messi
Stranger things have happened than the prospect of Messi vs Pico Lopes – but not many
For many League of Ireland fans, this is our Italia 90 moment - our summer party, our time in the sun
‘I relax when I see a player go flat out’: Fifa signs Dundalk grass expert for World Cup
Greg Whately has used his horticultural expertise to make sure pitch in Boston is optimal for football
Podcast: a triple of doubles for World Cup galácticos Messi, Mbappé and Haaland
America 2026 with Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard
Lionel Messi makes history as double in win over Austria moves him to 18 World Cup goals
Messi’s first-half goal took him ahead of Germany’s Miroslav Klose as top scorer in the history of the tournament
Ken Early: World Cup feats by Messi and Mbappé go against efforts to break players’ flow
Fifa and other football rule-makers seem determined to destroy the sport’s defining characteristic
World Cup All in the Game: Reports of Messi bereavement greatly exaggerated
Argentinian presenter resigns after mistakenly saying Messi’s father died ‘right in the middle of the World Cup’
Who knew Fifa would be easier to deal with than your average GAA steward?
Whether in Kansas City or Salthill, some games can only be appreciated in the flesh
World Cup 2026, Day 6: Top scorer battle ignites as Messi, Mbappé and Haaland find the net
Lionel Messi scores stunning hat-trick as Argentina defeat Algeria, while Kylian Mbappé nets two in France’s win over Senegal
Ken Early: Those who had paid $1,000 got to say they saw a Messi goal early. Then it got better
Messi scores sensational hat-trick in 3-0 win to draw level with Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in tournament’s history
World Cup Group J guide: Lionel Messi ready to strut his stuff in Argentina’s title defence
Algeria and Austria likely to battle it out for progress
World Cup 2026: Don’t fancy a middle-of-the-night match? Try these eye-opening TV shows instead
There is a host of football-themed programming airing at sensible times, just to get you in the mood
Under-3s training for $165: Why the US is the only World Cup nation where soccer is a country club
Parents of most youngsters taking up soccer in the US are well placed to afford the high sums it takes to put them in competitive arenas
TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight
June 7th to 12th highlights, including Backstory, Britney: In Ten Pictures, Total Football and Queen James
The best quotes of the football season from Roy Keane, Hallgrímsson, Messi and more
Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Cristiano Ronaldo wisely hinted at what was to come this year
Ken Early: Mohamed Salah will long be remembered as one of Liverpool’s best players
Never a lethal finisher like Messi, Son or Kane, but he was the best at getting chances to score
Ken Early: Ireland may want to avoid penalties in the home of Antonín Panenka
Scorer in 1976 Euro final has seen penalty technique copied worldwide, and Czechs have shootout record
Ken Early: It would be best for all concerned if Pep Guardiola called it a day
His protege, Mikel Arteta, is reaping rewards after turning away from methods he learned from the master
Multi-millionaire Messi couldn’t be bought, no matter how hard Al-Ittihad tried
Roy Keane makes a dig, Liam Rosenior practices his clapping, Lisandro Martínez gets the last laugh
Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez is unfavourably compared to Darwin Nunez
Lionel Messi on home (dis)comforts, Antonio Cassano on ‘duds’
All in the Game: Chelsea prize takes you far away from the action, not the other way around
Jet lag anticipated as lucky winner set for 34-hour round trip to watch match on telly
Lamine Yamal is on the path to greatness but the risk of burning out looms large
Young Spanish winger has attracted attention of tabloids for his antics off the pitch
There has never been an international footballer to compare to Cristiano Ronaldo
Annoying, vain and with an ego the size of Jupiter - but there’s no arguing with the numbers he has put up for Portugal
All in the Game: Being card sharp in pursuit of that elusive Lionel Messi rookie treasure
Panini gold; Amorim not for turning; Republic’s decline continues apace; Sugar not so sweet on Rednapp; Arteta a gift for cabbies; and versatile managers
Major League Soccer was already struggling for attention. Then they hid it from view
MLS now only seen by the masses when a brief moment of Messi magic goes viral on social media
Lionel Messi left powerless as PSG outclass Inter Miami in Club World Cup
European champions expose gulf in quality in last 16
Brilliant Lionel Messi free-kick leads Inter Miami past Porto while PSG are stunned at Club World Cup
Brazilian side Botafogo beat the European champions
Messi shows glimpses of his genius on Fifa’s stage of fakery as Club World Cup begins
Inter Miami were held to a scoreless draw by Al Ahly as the opening ceremony outshined the football on the pitch
Farewell to the store that, with assists from Pelé and Messi, sustained soccer lovers in the US
For five decades Massapequa Soccer Shop in New York fanned a passion that has spread to a level that few foresaw
Viva Vitinha: how PSG’s deep conductor proved Lionel Messi wrong
Midfield fulcrum was not rated by the Argentinian maestro or Wolves but was central to Champions League triumph
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s continental exits show the limits of their swan songs
The two best players of their generation suffered same-day disappointments that show the game is starting to move on
Ken Early: Watching Messi in Miami, it’s clear that a sixth World Cup is possible
I was one of the people paying way over the odds to see Messi play for Inter Miami against New York City
US soccer fans pay good money not to see Messi
Ticket prices sky-rocket for Inter Miami’s game against Houston Dynamo, only for the Argentine to be rested
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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